The Evolution of 40K part two
by Luten Hans This is the second part of the Evolution of 40K series that provides ideas to improve game mechanics. These are simply ideas for consideration and are not designed to replace official rules unless players would like to use them. The official rules do, however, need some work to restore balance and simplicity to make the game function better without the constant release of old armies with new, often overpowered rules designed to artificially inflate sales and increase profits. The excuse that each army has to be different and changing rules to require players to field full squads really doesn't fool anyone. This article is the second in a series designed to restore freedom and creativity, and to put an end to the stagnation and over-restriction. Once again, all changes are made in reference to the Warhammer 40,000 pocket rulebook. 'The Shooting Phase' The main problem with the Shooting Phase has nothing to do with who can shoot and who can be shot at, but rather the task of rolling to score a hit. The current rules for rolling to-hit a target in comparison to a model’s BS are really irritating and require players to subtract whatever the BS rating is from 7 before applying any other modifiers or penalties. What makes the problem even more irksome is the fact that the BS rating could have been used simply to represent the number a player needs to roll on a D6 in order for the creature to hit a target. The following rules now apply. :: ROLL TO HIT :: To determine if the firing models have hit their target, roll a D6 for each shot that is in range. Normally troopers will only get one shot each. However, some creatures or weapons are capable of firing more than once, as we’ll explain in more detail later. The dice score needed to hit will depend on how accurate the firers are, as shown in their Ballistic Skill characteristic (or BS). The chart below shows the maximum D6 roll needed to score a hit. :: For example, if the shooters are a unit of five Space Marines with a BS of 4, you would need to roll five dice and each roll of 4 or less would score a hit. :: To Hit rolls are easy to remember because you simply need to roll equal to or less than the BS characteristic of the shooter, eg, a model with a BS of 2 needs to roll a 2 or less to hit their target. :: Note that the maximum roll that will hit is a 5. When rolling to hit, there is no such thing as an automatic hit and a roll of 6 always misses. : This entry replaces the one currently found on page 17. :: BALLISTIC SKILL OF 6 OR BETTER :: Very rarely a model will have a BS of 6 or even more. If a model has a BS of 6 or higher, it must still roll a 5 or less to hit the target it firers upon. :: The only advantage to having a BS of 6 or higher is when the shooter must reduce their BS characteristic for some reason. :: For example, if a model with a BS of 6 is subject to a penalty of -1 BS, they will continue to hit their chosen target on a roll of 5 or less where other models would have a reduced chance of hitting the same target. :: However, if the same model was subject to a penalty of -2 BS, they would only hit their chosen target on a roll of 4 or less. Despite this, a BS of 6 or more does have some advantages. : This entry replaces the one currently found on page 18 'Roll To-Wound' :